CC&FC Five-a-Side Invitational Football Tournament, for The Telegraph Cup, presented by Imperial Blue in association with Canon, saw an exhibition match on May 13, pitting Tollywood stars against the veterans’ team from CC&FC.

Powered by Maidan legends like Shyam Thapa and Jamshid Nassiri, it was no surprise that the club oldies beat the tinsel stars, led by Jeet and Jisshu, 4-2. “Bhaggish eta friendly match,” some much younger Tolly team members were overheard muttering as the veterans turned it on.

But the veterans were impressed by the commitment shown by the stars. As Nassiri put it: “Their love for football was so apparent that it made for a very enjoyable game. Given the nature of their profession, they don’t get time to practice at all. But they clearly love the game and they played with passion.”

Club CEO Deepankar Nandi, part of the veterans’ team, said: “We organise several such exhibition matches and so we play quite regularly. We even go on tours.’’